Of Times Past
by Blissful Illusions
Summary: In the beginning, she was only one of the many young girls sent to dedicate their lives in servitude to the "Usagi no Megami". Throughout the years she had witnessed countless taboos and became the keeper of many more deadly secrets. What had once been brilliance and delight was now nothing but resentment burdened with all the more guilt. This is her tale to tell...of times past.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello Darlings,**

 **I am back...well slowly making my comeback. I am slowly revising Evermore, but I had decided to post this chapter of the founding times in the meantime. This was something I had always been working on, and after the anime had touched upon the history I went back and changed some things to make it closer to canon.**

 **Please keep on showering me with the same love you all had been so generous with during these past two years. I hope you all will enjoy this upload! Please R &R so that I could determine this series' popularity and start working on the next installment ASAP!**

 **With Love,**

 **Blissful Illusion~**

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE**

Tonight was to be the last night for her twelfth year of age. Needless to say, tomorrow would mark her first day of having lived up to her thirteenth year; therefore it would mark her first step towards the path of maturity and adulthood. For most this would be a celebrated and joyous occasion, but it was not the same in her case.

"I do not care about any of those meaningless explanations you dare to give. I will not let my daughter be sent away."

"It is mandatory for her to go. She is not the only girl to be sent away; all of the chiefs whose villages fall within the territory must send their daughters as tribute."

"She is our daughter. Is there no one else who could take her place? She is too frail and you know that she will not survive."

The night only continued to grow darker as the seconds passes by. The faint candle light flickers every-so often serving as a reminder of its limiting vitality. The evening was to be a time for silent tranquility, however tonight was far from the usually passive period.

"It has been already decided. She shall dedicate her life in servitude to exhibit our gratitude for all these years of fortune we had lived blissfully upon."

"I refuse to entrust my precious child to this cruel fate."

"You were mistaken to believe that you would have a say in this matter."

Her mother had always been compliant with her father throughout all these years in which they had shared together. Her mother was a woman of little words and had always supported her father whilst she remained hidden behind his shadow. Her mother was no different to all of the other women in this time. A woman's loyalty was never hers to keep; loyalty to her father as a daughter and loyalty to her husband as a wife. The ultimate aspiration was to be a dutiful wife who sires her husband bountiful offspring and nurture her children to bring forth honor to the family name.

"What of the chiefs without daughters? Who shall they send then?"

"There would be no exceptions to be made. She must be on her way by sunrise tomorrow morn."

"She may never return back to us…are you prepared for that possibility?"

She was not the only child between her parents, but she was the only living one. Her parents had no trouble conceiving, but the mortality of the time had impressed a dreadful burden upon the longevity of newborns. The first child, her eldest brother, passed away by the next morning following his birth. The second child, her second elder brother, was a stillborn. The third child, her third elder brother, was at the tender age of 18 months when he had mysteriously stopped breathing all of a sudden. The fourth child, her fourth elder brother, was only three years of age when he had caught a fatal fever which he never recovered from. The fifth child, the brother before she, never awoke from his slumber on the night of his fifth birthday. Her siblings, those who had passed before her, all never made it past the age of five. All of the children within the family were born frail, and she was no exception from that.

"You must resent me."

"You are mistaken, father."

"I only wish the best for you, even if there is a risk posed of losing you."

Despite being the only child of her father (up until now), she had always had a distant relationship with him. She was a daughter; to be a daughter had meant nothing of worth unless she was accompanied with a son. Daughters were bargaining chips for trades and treaties while the sons were the actual heirs who guarantee the progress of the clan into the next generation. If there was no prospect of a future for a clan, than what goods were trades and treaties worth now? She had always had limited interactions with her father throughout her life. She was a daughter; what vocations could a man pass off onto his daughter?

"What must you remember during your service?"

"Always be obedient and do as I am told. Never forget my place. Absolute loyalty and dedication towards my mistress."

"The Lady Kaguya "Usagi no Megami" of the Otsutsuki Clan is a benevolent ruler. She will be fair to you as long as you devote yourself to her."

Not many had the chance to witness the infamous Lady Kaguya Otsutsuki in person, and those who did had never failed to claim that it was a sight one would ever forget. Some shower her with praises of magnanimity and ovations of luminescent beauty. Others hail her with sneers of deeply imbedded hatred and proclamations of her being the Oni itself. Either it is those who admired her or those who begrudged her, everyone feared her. Her word was law and those who disobeyed them were surely never heard or seen from ever again. How could she bring it upon herself to loath her father when he had absolutely no choice in the matter? It would be her life in exchange for everyone else's in the village. Any sane person would realize which preference would be more rational.

"You are not the only one whose presence is requested. There will be many other girls around your age from other neighbouring lands amongst you. All of you will be expected to give the rest of your lives in servitude for the Lady Kaguya…until she decides that she has no more use for you. If she is pleased with you, you will continue to remain amongst her court until she is done with you."

"What happens to those she has no uses for anymore?"

"Always be in her gracious favour."

Her mother had asked her father if he was prepared for the possibility of her never returning before she had stormed gracefully out of the room. Her mother was a straight forwarded woman with no tendencies to sugar coat anything. Her mother was truthful; even if it would mean exposing the foulest nature of things. There was a high possibility of her failure to return. That possibility could mean spending her remaining days within the Otsutsuki Clan's household. That possibility could always entail that she would die there and her corpse will never even make it back for her people to give a proper burial…she could vanish from existence.

...

Father was right when he had mentioned that many other girls around her age will be in her company. She looked around her to observe so many young maidens dressed all in their most vivid attires gathering around the attendance hall. This was the first time she had seen so many girls in such close proximity to her. Unlike her sickly appeal, they had all radiate health and brilliance.

They socialized amongst each other; some had asked where the other hails from, and others had started to discuss about the latest trends in fashion and beauty. She stuck to herself and stayed as far away from any cluster of wildly excited girls as possible. She was different from them…she was too different.

"Why else would she order the presence of all of the maidens of eligible age in the land? She must be looking for a bride candidates for her two sons." One of the girls nearby spoke with confidence.

"Oh! The Lord Hagoromo and the Lord Hamura!" Everyone seemed to screech in excitement.

"Lord Hamura is so handsome. His features are so refined!" All the other girls nodded in unison.

"Lord Hagoromo is wise beyond his years with the strength and maturity to prove it!" Once again the girls all sighed in unison.

She listened carefully to the conversation going on nearby as the names of the Lady Kaguya's twin sons surfaced. She did not know much about the two other than the fact that they were sons of the Lady Kaguya and had shared much of her appearance.

"I only saw them once from afar when they had crossed my father's lands." One girl added to the conversation.

"Well, I had seen them close up. They were discussing the crop harvest with my father then. Mother had warned me not to disturb them, but I still managed to make myself noticed." Another bragged.

"And how did you manage that?" Another taunted the one before.

"She ran up to them like a mad woman and then fell flat on her face. It was just charming." A girl had snickered.

"Well, I had purposely run over there and tripped myself. The kind Lord Hagoromo came to me himself when he heard my cries of distress." The girl continued her to tell her tale.

"Ami, you always make such a big deal of things as trivial as this." The story teller's friend jested.

"Emi, you are just jealous of my lucky fortune. How could a girl not remember the fair Lord Hamura's tender touch on her injured ankle?" Ami pronounced ever-so proudly.

"I was quite sure that the both of them just had enough of your pig squeals. I still remember the birds making flight as soon as they can once you started howling away." Emi spoke sharply towards Ami.

"Why you-!" Ami was enraged with anger clear in her eyes.

The socializing was soon cut short as an elegant lady came on to the platform.

"Welcome, ladies." The woman spoke in a composed manner.

The two girls from before gave the other a quick glare before settling down. All of the girls had dipped their heads low in unison to show their respect towards the figure before them.

"I am Yuna. I am to be your governess during your stay here with the Otsutsuki Clan. I shall be the one who will oversee your progress in this journey. I shall start with the attendance list of all of those who are expected to be present."

Soon a long scroll was brought forth towards the governess. She starts to announce the names of the girls who had also been sent here to share her fate. Too many different girls from too many different families; everyone was under the influence of the Great Usagi no Megami.

The list goes on. With every name the governess calls, it would end in faint whispers amongst the other girls. They were gossips; some of them good while most of them were in a distasteful nature.

"Lady Haori, daughter of the Lord Hino."

This name seems to draw the most attention as the girl around all focused their attention onto the young girl standing up in acknowledgment of her name being called. She was not a great beauty nor did she wear the most fetching of gowns. She possessed the same long black hair and large brown eyes that many also had shared. She had no idea why this girl had congregated so much attention.

The attention slowly died down after the governess had moved on to the other names down the list. The list continues on as many other girls were called upon.

"That will conclude the attendance section of the day. Please follow me to the outside courtyard where I will be showing you all your lodgings." The governess spoke before she led the way outside.

…

"You all shall remain here, at the branch manor, until you have successfully concluded the required teachings."

One of the girls stood up from her kneeling position in objection.

"Lady Naya, is there anything you would like to include?"

Following the girl, now known as "Naya", many others followed in her stead.

"Do all of you have something to add?"

The head governess looked at the scene before her with nothing but indifference in her eyes. It was either that nothing could faze this woman, or that she had seen the same scenario enacted countless times before.

"We were told that we would become ladies-in-waiting amongst the court of the Otsutsuki Clan. Why are we to stay at this side manor and be subjected to the mere duties of a servant?" Naya exclaimed in a prideful manner.

"The expected conclusion would be for you to become a lady-in-waiting to the Lady Kaguya, however not many of you would be able to achieve that in reality."

"We are the daughters of noble chiefs! We should not be subjected to harsh labours fitting to that of a low-life maid." Another girl shouted towards the governess.

"How are you to properly serve the Lady Kaguya when you have required no such skills in the first place?" The governess never changed her static tone.

"This is disrespectful!" One of the standing girls had exclaimed in anger.

"Do you not know who we are?" Another joined in.

"I wish to speak to my father!" Then another.

"I demand to see the Lady Kaguya!" And soon many others.

Soon, in the midst of confusion, there was shrieking from one corner to another as those in rebellion argued their discontent towards the situation. She looked around to find many other girls kneeling beside her in frightful tears accompanied by the shaking of their trembling bodies. What was happening? What was once a gallant gathering had took a turn for the worst in such a brief period of time.

"Psst." She heard a noise made beside her.

"Behind you." The voice whispered again.

She had shifted her eyes to the directed direction to find a girl merely a year of two more her age looking straight at her. This girl looked at her with the brightest eyes and a cheerful beam. Wait…this was the famed Haori from before.

"Pay them no mind. This will be sorted out before it gets too out of hand. Just continue to kneel and stay quiet." She spoke and followed with a playful wink.

*Bang!*

The audience became mute quickly at the sound of the deafening grand drum beat.

"There seems to be a conflict of interest amongst us, so I will offer you maidens an opportunity to make your own decision. We need to know if you are here to serve the Lady Kaguya or are you here to serve yourself." The governess spoke calmly with a cleverly disguised intent behind the smoothness of her voice.

The eyes of the bewildered girls focus themselves onto the platform with eagerness to hear what the governess had to offer.

"Listen well as I will only say this once."

Everything became silent with anticipation.

"If you have no quarrels with my directives then stay kneeling where you are."

"And if we do?" The one called Naya spoke up once more in superciliousness.

The governess stared the girl down with eyes with bitter mercilessness while her elegant thin lips curved up into a venomous grin.

"Then if you do not agree, then please follow Hisane and be on your way this instant." The governess used her hand to direct the attention towards the timid-looking maid beside her on the platform.

The one named Naya strutted towards the maid Hisane with incomparable egotism as her eyes never left their match against the governess for dominance. Naya was followed by many others as they all made their way towards the exit. The governess smirked in amusement at the sight before her.

"Now, is there anyone else? This would be your last chance." The governess asked again.

Hesitation ran throughout the girls around. Some were unsure of which option to choose while the others were just too frightful of even standing up in this intimidating aura.

"Stay kneeling." She could hear Haori whispering from behind her in warning.

Despite everything, she still knelt down with her eyes closed to calm her racing heart. She calmly repeated the motto her father had made sure she engraved into her consciousness before she was sent on her way.

*Slam*

She opened her eyes to find the gates to the courtyard have been closed. There was about half the amount girls here than before. There was not a noise to be made as everyone had remained silent from the shock of what had just occurred shortly before. Fortunately, the rest of the girls were soon led to their lodgings to retire for the rest of the day.

Those who had left, there were no longer any traces of them ever being here. They had vanished before her eyes behind those massive gates. She did not need to ponder much to know that those girls will never be heard or seen from ever again; just like those who had opposed the Great Usagi no Megami.

It will only be in the future that she will know exactly what have become of them, to those who did not live by the motto.

 _Always be obedient and do as I am told._

 _Never forget my place._

 _Absolute loyalty and dedication towards my mistress._

This was only the start of it all.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello Darlings,**

 **It's been awhile. I went on a very very long hiatus. But I am happy to have finally made the time to finish chapter two and uploaded it. It is hard for me to find the muse to write and with real life being so hectic and demanding...that takes away from my writing. I hope that this longer chapter would be enough to make up for the long time I was away from the site.**

 **I write when I feel like it. I write when something good pops up in my head. The bad thing about this habit is that some stories as left hanging for a long time before I could come up with the next chapter.**

 **I just make to reassure you gals that I will never just abandon my account and my stories. I will always tell my readers in advance if I plan on never touching anything again. I have a lot of projects currently...Evermore (revised). Till My Final Last Breath, To Linger, and some other things. I plan on revealing a new Kakashi Hatake mini-series soon.**

 **I am very excited for the Kakashi Hatake mini-series. It is based on the songs from the artist The Weeknd. It will include drugs, sex, deceit, and ANGST! It would focus on his ANBU days and all the dirty little secrets and corruption back in the days. I can't wait for you gals to read it!**

 **But just remember that even if I am uploading new stories, this doesn't mean that I am abandoning my older works. I love my readers and I will always let you guys know if I do plan on not finishing something.**

 **Anyways, please enjoy the new chapter below. Please leave me a review or feel free to private message me! Your comments and supports are what keeps me going!**

 **With Love,**

 **Blissful Illusions~**

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWO**

She had never thought that time would pass by so fast. With just a mere blink of an eye, it seems like that this arriving spring would mark her third year at the residence. It didn't seem like much at first, all of the maidens were given tasks to fulfill through their time spent. The young girls were treated no differently from the servants: most days they cleaned the premises and other days they tended to the Lady Kaguya.

She looked around her to see the last few remaining maidens scattered around their living quarters, each of them tending to themselves. There wasn't much of them left, the majority of the girls never came back after being led away that night. The rest of the girls disappeared through the passing months and their things were removed before the end of the night. All traces of the missing girls were erased as if they were never here to begin with.

Yuki was combing her long hair. She was the one who had arrived in the prettiest gown and adorned herself with the brightest jewellery. However, after all of the maidens' possessions were ordered to be taken away, she was left with nothing but her own flesh and bone. She was the one who cried the hardest when the servants came in that day and took everything away.

Kayo was patiently gathered and folded her robes after they had dried off from this morning's sunlight. She used to have the talent for dance, but it seems like nowadays one could only tell from the grace behind her movements. They were no longer the spoiled daughters of village chiefs, they had to labour their days away with the tasks they were assigned. There was no time for them to pursue their talents, there was no time for dancing.

Mana was one of the girls who had been affected the most. She was the youngest of the girls and has lost her cousin that very night when the displeased girls were led away from the main hall. She sat on her bed as she stared blankly at the empty spot before her.

"Ami and Emi still didn't come back yet." A voice called out.

The voice had belonged to Haori. She was perhaps the only one who didn't change at all since the beginning.

"Did any of you see them today?" Haori asked the girls.

"I didn't see them since this morning when we left the quarters." Kayo quietly replied while she placed her clean laundry inside the drawer by her bedside.

"It was very odd to see them head in the same direction this morning. Those two were always separated when given tasks." Yuki commented as she placed her comb down and began to climb into bed.

"They were headed towards the back gate." Mana finally spoke for the first time tonight.

"The back gate?" Haori questioned as she walked closer to the young girl.

"Remember the others? They were all seen heading towards that direction before they disappeared." Yuki answered.

While the other girls questioned the two friends' disappearance, she couldn't be the least amount of concerned about them. She disliked the two girls, and she had never really felt any discontent towards anyone before.

It was also quite surprising to her that the two girls had even lasted this long. The two of them were loud and obnoxious. They fought often; they fought for extra supplies and for extra space. The two of them had once bullied the weakest of the bunch, Mana, into mending their worn out gowns for them. They had made Kayo sleep by the bed closest to the door because it was cold during the night. Then there was the time where they had stolen her extra cloth in order to make themselves handkerchiefs to wipe away their sweats from a hard day of work.

"They are not coming back. They will disappear just like all of those before them." Mana whispered with fear clear in her tearful eyes.

"Perhaps they just slacked off today and didn't finish their tasks on time. They might just be finishing up." Kayo spoke before she pulled the bedcovers over her body.

"Let us hope that they return. We cannot afford to lose anymore of us at this rate." Haori prayed into the thin air before she blew the candle and brought upon the darkness of night.

…

The two girls never returned. Their belonging had long been removed from their living quarters. It had never been this quiet before, perhaps having them around would have been livelier. It was weird to see the room be less two people for the next few weeks.

Tonight, she had returned to the quarters to see Haori sitting on her bed. It seems like it was time for one of her sharing sessions again. Haori always treasured the bond between the girls and she made it her mission since the first day to make sure that no one felt alone. She found it annoying at first, but now after all that had happened…she couldn't appreciate Haori more.

"Hey!" She turned her head back to see Haori calling out to her.

"What is it?"

"I saw Yuki being led towards the back gate today."

"What?" Her eye widened at this information which Haori had just given her.

"We were both sent to tend to the flowers today."

"Did she make a mistake and damaged one of the blossoms? Why did she have to be removed?" She tried asking the girl in order to gain more insight.

"Well, her sons passed by us today…"

"So? It is not like that we have never seen them before." She couldn't understand the situation since they two Lords passed by them often in these three years. It was not like that they took notice of them of anything.

"No, you don't understand...Lord Hamura spoke to Yuki today. They had a brief conversation."

"Haori, what is so special about that? You converse with them on a normal basis."

There was something about Haori that allowed her to become close to all the others. She was warm, she comforted the girls when despair fell upon them. She even managed to talk Mana out of taking her life with a broken piece of glass once. Haori drew people to her like how butterflies flock to flowers. It was no different when it came to the Lady Kaguya's two sons; they talked amongst each other like long-time friends.

Haori pressed her lips together while probably thinking of a much more simpler way to explain things. Sometimes, Haori found the girl to be so dense at times and communication took longer than necessary to get across with her.

"This isn't something ordinary. The two of them had been quite close these few weeks."

Of course, it had to be Yuki who caught the attention of the Lord Hamura. Yuki is a beautiful girl, she is the most beautiful amongst all of them. She was lovely to look at and she acted so docile, even the other males take notice of her as she passed by them. She was popular with the opposite sex; it shouldn't be a surprise why the Lord Hamura would talk to her out of anyone of the other maidens.

"Listen!" Haori interrupted her as she continued to explain, "Their relationship is not normal. I think it may be romantic in nature."

It should come as no surprise that Yuki would fall for the younger son. Much like others were for her, Yuki was also a victim for a fair face. The Lord Hamura was handsome and his status only gave him more appeal. After much speculation about the gathering of young maidens from around the land, many had thought that the Lady Kaguya was to select future brides for her two sons. It would only be normal for the girls to think that their ticket out of this life of servitude was to gain the love of one of the young lords.

"You mean…Yuki had fallen in love with-" She was interrupted again.

"Yuki's feelings isn't the issue here, it is the Lord Hamura's. I saw him place a kanzashi into her hair and he seems to have whispered something into Yuki's ears as he leaned close to her. Yuki blushed at whatever he said. I am telling you that this thing between them is not ordinary." Haori whispered to her in a low voice.

Yuki had always used her good looks and womanly charms to lure her way out of the lesser desired tasks. There was the time when one of the male servants helped her carry water from the well to the garden in order for her to water the flowers. Then there was the other time when one of the male servants had snuck a small platter of fruits out of the kitchen for her to eat. She had hoped that the Lady Kaguya's sons to be different, but it seems that the Lord Hamura was simply just another man.

"Do you think that she…" She didn't want to say this, but it seems like that Yuki may share the same fate as those before her.

"Yuki did look very tense as she was led away this afternoon. If she doesn't return tonight then we may have our answer."

…

She was right. Yuki never came back. Her belongs were removed from the living quarters just like the others who had disappeared before her. Now, only four girls remained in their group. After sharing simple exchanges of conversations with the other girls, it seems like this was the case for much of the other groups of girls. They were being picked off one by one like livestock.

"These need to be cleaned before I awake tomorrow." A sudden voice commanded in arrogance as a bundle of something heavy was thrown at her.

She instinctively held her hands up to catch the material thrown at her. It was clothing, very dirty clothing.

"Leave them before my door tomorrow." That same rude voice spoke as he walked off.

How could anyone think of falling in love with him? He may be handsome and held status, but he was a horrible person who abused everything in his path. Was this what Yuki sacrificed herself for?

It had been almost been 3 full months since she was assigned to the Lord Hamura's living quarters. It seems as if the Lady Kaguya couldn't trust any of the girls anymore. Yuki wasn't the only one who was removed because of her risqué behaviours, other girls went missing as well. According to her source in the other groups, it was the same story as before. The young lord finds interest with a beautiful girl and the girl is wooed out of her bitter reality, then she disappears later on in the next few days. It had used to be a total of three maidens assigned to the young lord's quarters, but now…only she remains. It was almost as if it was planned; the Lady Kaguya knew of her younger son's interests and managed to assign the plainest girl to his quarters just to spite him.

She stared at the dirty pile of clothes before her. It was obvious just by looking at the Lord Hamura's treatment of her between the other two girls, that she would be in no danger. For once she should be thankful for the plain appearance since it was the only thing between her and a mysterious fate.

She picked up the clothing and began to walk to the laundry quarters of the residence. Just because she wasn't beautiful that doesn't mean she was safe, if she failed to deliver the young lord's request when she was sure the same fate would still apply.

She let out all of her anger as she beat the laundry before her. Out of every possible task which could have been assigned to her, this wasn't all that bad. It was the only time for her to let out her anger and have something good result from it.

Just thinking about the arrogant young lord made her blood fuel. She smacked the wet clothing against the basin. Somehow, the young lord managed to make each batch of dirty laundry more stained than the batch before. Sweat was something easily dealt with, but now he manages to give her dirt stains. What training was he partaking in? Was he wrestling with livestock in the mud? No…the Lord Hamura thinks his appearance too highly to be doing such activities. She was sure that he was just doing this to test her breaking point.

"Apologize!" A stern voice called out as it approached.

"Why should I? It is her job! She is a servant!" Another voice she knew all too well protested.

She turned her head back from her position to see the elder brother dragging the younger one by force towards her.

"She is not a servant. She is this our honorable guest and the daughter of one of the village leaders of our land." The Lord Hagoromo disciplined his brother.

"I will not apologize!" The Lord Hamura continued with his protest.

"I will not let you disrespect a guest of mother's. I will not tolerate this behaviour of yours to anyone, no matter their title or background." The Lord Hagoromo used his brute force to pull his brother over to face the young maiden before them.

"Stand straight and face her!" The Lord Hagoromo called out to his brother before he gave him a smack on the head.

"Ow!" The younger lord exclaimed in exaggerated pain.

She was speechless. What was happening? A mere minute before this, she was enjoying the silence and peace…then this happens. Both brothers were before her and her hands were still full of the dirty laundry.

"Ahem." The Lord Hagoromo gave a quick cough as his eyes fell on the young girl.

She followed the elder brother's eyesight too and realized just what was causing the awkwardness.

She had rolled her sleeves up in order to keep them dry from the laundry water. Her arms were bare and exposed all the way until the upper arm. Her gown was dishevelled due to her excessive movements of pounding away at the dirty clothing; some parts were not properly tucked in. But to make matters worse…it was what was in her right hand that made matters all worse.

"Miss…may we please have a moment of your time?" The Lord Hagoromo broke the silence in a weak voice and an intense blush on his cheeks.

She was holding on to the long piece of white fabric. Why would he need something this long, she had already washed his robe sash. Wait…no. .No. Oh dear lord…she was holding onto the Lord Hamura's loincloth in her right hand.

"I see that you are already at that part…hehe." The younger lord chuckled at the sight before him. He had snuck his undergarment into the laundry load today to see if the girl would actually deal with it. He had grown accustomed to seeing the girl's quietly fluming anger with every ridiculous request he made to her. Without the other beauties, this was his only way of finding entertainment nowadays.

"…" She was speechless.

"You could put that away. We will only take up a small fraction of your time." The voice of the older brother brought her back into reality.

"Or you could admire the length of the fabric in your hands. Look at how long-!" Before the Lord Hamura could finish his comment, his brother smacked his hand ontop of his mouth and forced him to bow down.

"As his brother, I apologize for Hamura's actions. I will see to it that he better behaves in the future." The Lord Hagoromo spoke briefly before he joined his brother and bowed before the young maiden before them.

She stood in awe as she admired the elder brother who stood before her. This was the closest she had seen him and it was one of the only interactions she had with him. This was the first time she heard him speak to her and only her. He was dignified like a leader but he also held a humble appeal that made him approachable. He had an unordinary appearance to him, but she found him to be fascinating. A foreign sensation rushed throughout her body; it was hot but it was also somehow cold at the same time. Everything was confusing at this moment, but she could not find it in her to look away from his kind gaze.

She remained there…just standing still and looked at him as if nothing else mattered in this world. She forgot about how inappropriate the state of her appearance with her exposed arms and unkept gown. She had forgotten that she was holding on to Lord Hamura's loincloth in her right hand. She forgot about everything.

"May I ask your name so that I may apologize to you properly?" The elder brother asked again before he smiled at her cute reaction.

His smile broke her from her illusion. Her cheeks became pink as her lips pursed together to contain her embarrassment. Her heart was pounding rapidly and she feared that if it beat any faster then it would escape from her.

"Your name fair maiden?" He spoke again.

"My name is M-"

"Lord Hagoromo! Lord Hamura!" Another voice overshadowed her own.

The three of them turned to face a guard walk towards them.

She took this opportunity to fix her gown and tuck everything in place…and dropped the loincloth into the basin.

"The Lady Kaguya request your attendance at her quarters." The guard spoke briefly before gesturing for the brothers to follow him.

The two brothers followed the guard. The Lord Hamura gave her a wink followed by that egotistical grin of his. The Lord Hagoromo gave her a quick bow and turned his back to her as he followed his brother.

"My name…my name…" She repeated herself as she watched the man walk away.

She didn't get to tell him her name. He walked away so soon despite their brief interaction. However, none of it mattered.

He remembered her. He didn't know her. He doesn't know anything about her. He doesn't even know her name. But he remembered her.

She was happy. She wanted nothing more than for him to notice her. She found happiness and a reason to wake up every day after another. She doesn't need anything else. She only needed him.


End file.
